The Jesuit New World Order

Monday, 23 July 2012

PROPHETIC ENDTIME REVELATIONS

The Coming of the Lord

by David Wilkerson

When I was a boy, the cry of the church was, “Jesus is
coming! Like a thief in the night, he will return when you least expect
him. He’ll come in the twinkling of an eye, with the sound of the
trumpet. Be ready at all times.”Throughout my teenage years, this cry was heard at every Sunday
meeting. Every evangelist who came to preach in my father’s church had a
stirring message about the soon return of Christ. Their cries are
burned into my memory. And the message formed in me a godly fear and
expectancy. I learned to live expecting the Lord to return at any
moment.This cry, “Jesus is coming”, is seldom heard in the church today. I
can’t remember the last time I heard a message on the coming of the
Lord. As a result, when I look at Christ’s body, I see little expectancy
for the Lord’s soon return. Sadly, only a few righteous servants seem
to yearn and look for his appearing.In fact, there is a new mindset on this subject among many
Christians. The thinking is, “Jesus isn’t coming. We’ve heard that for
years now. Of all the prophecies that need to be fulfilled before his
return, only a few have come to pass. Why should we expect his
appearing? Everything continues just as it has.”The Bible warned of this very mindset. Peter said scoffers would come
in the last days, mocking the message of Christ’s return: “There shall
come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, and
saying, Where is the promise of his coming? For since the fathers fell
asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the
creation” (2 Peter 3:3-4).Incredibly, many dread the sudden return of Christ. The very thought
of their life coming to an end, and of having to face a day of judgment,
is so frightening that they put it out of their minds. How could this
be true of believers, you ask? According to Peter, their lives are
dictated by lusts: “walking after their own lusts” (3:3).Think about what Peter is saying. If you cling to a bosom sin, you
want nothing to do with this message of Christ’s return. The idea that
Jesus will come and judge you is the most frightening thought any sinner
could have. So you have to mock the idea of having to stand before God
in your consuming lust and give an account.

Peter’s message to us is clear: “Here is what’s behind all the
flippancy about Christ’s coming: a mockery of God’s law. It’s a hatred
for the Bible, a despising of the Ten Commandments, a contempt for the
evangelical gospel. That’s the cause behind all the lawlessness, the
flaunting of sin, the powerlessness of the church. Mockers are preaching
a new message: ‘Christ isn’t coming. There is no day of reckoning. All
things continue just as they have for years. You don’t have to fear a
judgment day.’”Just as Peter prophesied, those mockers are here today. And they’re
not mocking the law of the land. They’re mocking the laws of God. We see
it in the push to break down the institution of marriage between a man
and a woman. Their focus isn’t the Constitution, but God’s Word. And
these mockers are in high places: in Congress, in high courts, in
colleges and schools, even in biblical seminaries.Because of this rampant lawlessness, people have been plagued with a
willful blindness. Mockers can be heard saying, “All things continue on
in an orderly fashion. The sun will rise on schedule tomorrow, the
seasons will come and go. All the warnings we heard in the past still
haven’t come to pass. So, let nothing disturb you. Indulge and enjoy
yourself. Do whatever makes you happy.”I have to shake my head at this. How could anyone living today say
that things continue as they always have? Think of the absurdity of this
statement, in these terrifying times. Terrorists have destroyed the
Twin Towers in New York . They’ve blown up a train station in Spain .
And they’re beheading people in the Middle East .It has been said that a mass genocide like the Holocaust could never
happen in our day. Yet 700,000 innocent Rwandans have been slaughtered
by their own countrymen in a matter of months. AIDS is killing millions
in Africa , China , India and other nations. Rogue countries with the
hydrogen bomb are poised to hold the rest of the world hostage. And
there is a rise of deadly new diseases, such as SARS and Ebola, that
consume a person’s flesh within weeks.“All things continue as they have”? What willful ignorance. It should
be clear even to the ungodly that the Lord is shaking everything that
can be shaken. And what’s coming in the near future is too dreadful even
to think about.Yet, as all these things happen, there is a mighty, unseen power at
work in the earth. It’s a power no man can evade or ignore. I’m talking
about the power of the Holy Spirit. He is Christ’s administrator on
earth. He was sent to empower the righteous, and to convict the world of
sin, righteousness and judgment.The Holy Spirit knows exactly why Jesus hasn’t come yet. It is
because our Lord is longsuffering. He is patient toward sinners, willing
that no person should perish. In his mercy, he’s waiting for the vilest
sinner to repent. And for that very reason, the Holy Spirit will not
let up on his assignment. You can mock him or try to shake him off, but
the Spirit comes again and again, convicting of sin and revealing the
truth of Christ.

Although mockers will come, Scripture says the Holy Spirit will also come in the last days, being poured out on the earth.

This has happened, at Pentecost. And now, at the closing of the age,
the Holy Spirit is making a final, midnight cry: “Jesus is coming.”
Islamics and Hindus will hear this cry. Atheists will hear it. Every
sinner and saint, every Jew and Gentile on earth, will hear it. This
truth will be proclaimed to the nations.You may ask, “What kind of ‘coming of the Lord’ are you talking
about? Are you referring to a secret rapture? Are you speaking of a
pre-tribulation return, or mid-trib, or post-trib? Or, do you mean Jesus
will come at the very end of time?”Some Christians believe that Jesus will suddenly evacuate his people
from the earth in what’s called a rapture. Others teach that Christ will
come midway through a period known as the great tribulation. This
period will last for seven years, and will be marked by terror and chaos
such as the world has never seen. Others believe Jesus will come at the
end of this seven-year tribulation period. Still others teach that
Christ will return at the very end of all things.There are respected biblical scholars in each of these camps. Yet
there is one thing every Christian can agree on: Jesus himself says no
man knows the hour of his coming, not even the angels. And for the true
lover of Christ, the timing of his return is not an issue. Such servants
are ready to go at any time, whether through a sudden rapture or in the
midst of tribulation. It doesn’t matter to them whether they have to
endure terrible trials and suffering. They trust that the same Jesus who
carries them through each day now will see them through all things.
They live in constant expectancy of his return.No, there is a greater issue at work here. And that is the wicked
thought that Satan has implanted in many who claim to be true believers.
The devil is whispering a vicious lie into the ears of multitudes of
God’s people: “Christ has delayed his coming.”In Matthew 24, Jesus tells a parable about being ready: “Be ye also
ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh. Who
then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over
his household, to give them meat in due season? Blessed is that servant,
whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing. Verily I say unto
you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods.“But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord
delayeth his coming; and shall begin to smite his fellow-servants, and
to eat and drink with the drunken; the lord of that servant shall come
in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not
aware of, and shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with
the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matthew
24:44-51).Note that Jesus is speaking about servants here, meaning believers.
One servant is called faithful and the other evil. What makes the latter
servant evil in God’s eyes? According to Jesus, it’s something he
“shall say in his heart” (24:48). This servant doesn’t voice such a
thought, and he doesn’t preach it. But he thinks it. He has sold his
heart on the demonic lie, “The Lord delays his coming.” Notice he
doesn’t say, “The Lord isn’t coming,” but “he delays his coming.” In
other words: “Jesus won’t come suddenly or unexpectedly. He won’t return
in my generation.”This “evil servant” is clearly a type of believer, perhaps even one
in ministry. He was commanded to “watch” and “be ready,” “for in such an
hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh” (Matthew 24:44). Yet this
man eases his conscience by accepting Satan’s lie.Jesus shows us the fruit of this kind of thinking. If a servant is
convinced that the Lord has delayed his coming, then he sees no need for
right living. He isn’t compelled to make peace with his fellow
servants. He doesn’t see the need to preserve unity in his home, at
work, in church. He could smite his fellow servants, accuse them, hold
grudges, destroy their reputations. As Peter says, this servant is
driven by his lusts. He wants to live in two worlds, indulging in evil
living while believing he’s safe from righteous judgment.

Some claim that Paul warned against preaching that the Lord’s coming is near, so as not to excite people.

Paul wrote, “We beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord
Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, that ye be not
soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor
by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand” (2
Thessalonians 2:1-2).Scoffers point out, “See, someone in the early church shook up
believers with the message that Christ was about to come. And Paul told
them, ‘No, don’t worry about it. Don’t let it trouble or concern you.’”But that’s not what the original Greek reveals. The root word is “[be
not shaken]…that the day of the Lord has come.” What disturbed the
Thessalonians was they thought Christ had already come, and that they’d
missed it.Paul reassures them in the next verse, “Let no man deceive you by any
means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away
first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition” (2:3).
Paul was only addressing their fears when he said, “Don’t be worried,
because two things have to happen first.”So, what was Paul’s primary theology about Christ’s return? We find
it in two passages: “Knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake
out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.
The night is far spent, and the day is at hand” (Romans 13:11 -12). “Let
your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand”
(Philippians 4:5). Paul is crying, “Wake up! It’s past midnight already.
The Lord’s coming is drawing near, so stir yourself. Don’t be slothful.
Jesus is coming for those who expect him.”Skeptics may ask, “But what about Paul’s own words? He did say two
things had to happen before Christ returns. First, the Lord can’t come
until a great apostasy takes place. And second, the Antichrist has to
rise up and proclaim himself God. We have to see the Antichrist sitting
in the temple, demanding that people worship him, before Jesus will
come.”First of all, you have to be willfully blind not to see a raging
apostasy gripping the whole world. Unbelief is sweeping through nations,
with believers falling away from faith on all sides. The apostasy Paul
refers to clearly has arrived.Note Paul’s words here: “The mystery of iniquity doth already work”
(2 Thessalonians 2:7). What is this mystery of iniquity? It is
lawlessness. It’s a spirit of chaos, with no respect for God’s law. And
it’s the very reason why God destroyed the earth by Flood, because of
man’s violence and lawlessness.If the lawlessness that Paul saw in his day has only increased, it’s
no wonder decent people today are alarmed and frightened by what they
see happening. Laws and institutions that for ages kept society from
falling into chaos are being torn down left and right.Paul says of this, “He who now letteth will let, until he be taken
out of the way” (2:7). He’s telling us, “There is a restraining power at
work, holding back the chaos. But that restrainer is about to be
removed.” The Spirit will always be here to fulfill his mission. But his
restraining ministry will be “taken,” or lifted, “out of the way.”I can think of no power that’s able to restrain lawlessness other
than the Holy Spirit. Think about what happens to a society when the
Holy Spirit lifts his restraining power. Every institution, from
government down to families, spins totally out of control. I can’t
imagine what New York City would be like without the Restrainer holding
back wickedness from erupting. I wouldn’t want to be near this city if
the Holy Spirit weren’t at work.Yet we see a spirit of lawlessness at work all over the world. The
Antichrist forces are already gathering and revealing themselves at high
levels. Right now, the European Union is putting into place a
Constitution that totally denies God. A Pentecostal minister in Sweden
sits in jail today for preaching against homosexuality. That’s just one
sign of how the stage is being set.You may say, “Yes, but Paul clearly says Jesus can’t come until the
Antichrist is in power.” Yet, consider what Scripture says: “Who is a
liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist,
that denieth the Father and the Son” (1 John 2:22 ). According to John,
the Antichrist is anyone who denies the Father and the Son. Moreover, he
says, the increase of such Antichrists is proof that we’re living in
the very last days. In addition, there will come a man who will embody
the “name of sin.”In short, nothing is holding back Christ’s return. Think of the
worldwide terrorism, the deification of self, the blatant attacks on
marriage and godly values. Think of Islamic brutality, militant
homosexuality, the vileness of TV and movies, the widespread molestation
of children. One Catholic diocese on the west coast recently declared
bankruptcy, unable to pay the millions awarded to sixty childhood
molestation victims by one priest.Consider that all this has been under restraint until now. I ask you,
what happens when God says to the One who has been restraining it all,
“Lift your restraining hand. Let it run its course to the climax”? Paul
gives us a picture: “(The Restrainer) will…be taken out of the way. And
then shall that Wicked be revealed” (2 Thessalonians 2:7-8).The Holy Spirit knows what is soon to take place, when there will be
no more restraint. Every man will give himself over to his lusts. Every
militant religion will force its gods on others. Every holy thing will
be despised. Every law will be broken freely. And the backslidden church
will preach the most corrupt, damnable doctrines of hell.Everything is in place for this to happen even now. Great apostasy
has covered the earth. Self has taken the throne of men’s hearts. And in
a very short time, when the Restrainer is gone, there will come what
Paul calls a “strong delusion, that they should believe a lie” (2
Thessalonians 2:11 ).What is this lie? It’s the blind acceptance that anyone who comes in
Jesus’ name speaks for God. False teachers will arise who acknowledge
Christ as a good man but not as God: “having a form of godliness but
denying the power thereof” (2 Timothy 3:5). Those who follow these
deceivers will be drawn to another Jesus, another gospel. The blindness
will be sweeping, catching up multitudes, including those who were once
on fire for the Lord.Why is God going to stop the Restrainer? Because, Paul says,
“They…believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness” (2
Thessalonians 2:12 ). Right now we’re seeing the Holy Spirit’s
restraints being lifted a little more each day.

This brings me to the heart of my message: the heart-cry of the man or woman who is in Christ.

In Revelation, Jesus announces, “Behold, I come quickly: blessed is
he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book” (Revelation
22:7). Five verses later Christ says, “Behold, I come quickly; and my
reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be” (
22:12 ).Here is the cry of all who look expectantly for Jesus’ return: “The
Spirit and the bride say, Come” (22:17). This refers to the bride of
Christ, made up of a worldwide body of believers under his Lordship. All
these servants are born-again, blood-cleansed believers.You may ask, “I understand this is the believer’s heart-cry. But why
would the Spirit also cry to Jesus, ‘Come’?” It is because this is the
Holy Ghost’s last prayer, knowing his work on earth is almost completed.
Like Paul or Peter, who were told by God their time was short, the
Spirit likewise cries, “Come, Lord Jesus.”So, where do we hear this cry of the Spirit today? It comes through
those who are seated with Christ in heavenly places, who live and walk
in the Spirit, their bodies the temple of the Holy Ghost. The Spirit
cries in and through them, “Hasten, Lord, come.”Let me ask you: when was the last time you prayed, “Lord Jesus, come
quickly, come soon”? Personally, I can’t remember praying this prayer.
The fact is, I never knew I could hasten Christ’s coming by allowing the
Spirit to pray this prayer through me. Yet Peter gives us proof of this
incredible truth: “Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day
of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the
elements shall melt with fervent heat” (2 Peter 3:12). In Greek, the
phrase “hasting…the coming of (that) day” means “to speed up, to urge
on.” Peter says our expectant prayers are hastening, speeding up, urging
the Father to send back his Son quickly.Only one issue is holding up that glorious event. It is a single
unresolved matter: “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as
some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing
that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (3:9).The Lord’s merciful patience dictates the timing of his return. So,
does this mean we shouldn’t pray for his coming? Not at all. Christ
himself tells us in Mark’s gospel, “In those days shall be affliction,
such as was not from the beginning of the creation which God created
unto this time, neither shall be. And except that the Lord had shortened
those days, no flesh should be saved: but for the elect’s sake, whom he
hath chosen, he hath shortened the days” (Mark 13:19-20). Imagine what
might happen if, all over the world, Christ’s bride were to wake up and
pray in the Spirit, “Jesus, come.”Yet, if I believe the world is racing toward unrestrained chaos, and
that Christ is coming soon, then my cry must be aimed at my unprepared
family and friends. It would be hypocritical for me to pray for Jesus to
come, and yet not intercede for my loved ones to be ready for that day.
My prayer must be, “Come, Lord. But first, give my lost family and
friends ears to hear. Save them, save the lost.”Paul wrote to his spiritual son, Timothy, “Without ceasing I have
remembrance of thee in my prayers night and day” (2 Timothy 1:3). Can
you say with a pure conscience that you’ve prayed for your unsaved loved
ones with such intensity?

Here is the heart of the matter.

For a moment, set aside all doctrines about Christ’s coming. Consider
this heart-cry of the man or woman who loves his appearing: “Then we
shall see him face to face. We shall behold him” (see 1 Corinthians
13:12). Jesus’ coming shouldn’t disturb you. It ought to thrill you. If
you truly love someone, you want to be near that person. Can you imagine
what it will be like for Jesus to call your name?Imagine a couple who’s newly married, and the husband is called away
for an extended period, perhaps on business or in the military. He tells
his bride, “I’ll be back, but I don’t know when. Here’s the address
where you can reach me.”For the first few years, that bride writes to her husband often, with
beautiful love letters. Yet she never says, “Please, come back soon!”
Ten years pass, then twenty, and she writes him less and less. Still,
she never says, “Come quickly, I beseech you. I need your embrace, I
need to see your face. I’m praying for your soon return.”This is a picture of the church today. How can we tell Christ we love
him and miss him, yet never pray that he comes back for us? How can we
never express to him that he must return soon and take us with him, so
we can be in his constant company? How can we not say, “I can’t handle
this anymore without your being here. I don’t want to be away from you”?

In the midst of these times, I hear Jesus saying, “Surely I come
quickly” (Revelation 22:20). And I hear the bride of Christ answering,
“Even so, come, Lord Jesus” (22:20).

1. Israel Will Be In The Land … Ezekiel 36:8-12, 37:21

Speaking to the Land God said,“You, O mountains of Israel, will produce branches and fruit for my
people Israel, for they will soon come home. I am concerned for you and
will look on you with favor; you will be plowed and sown, and I will
multiply the number of people upon you, even the whole house of Israel.
The towns will be inhabited and the ruins rebuilt. I will increase the
number of men and animals upon you, and they will be fruitful and become
numerous. I will settle people on you as in the past and will make you
prosper more than before. Then you will know that I am the LORD. I will
cause people, my people Israel, to walk upon you. They will possess you,
and you will be their inheritance; you will never again deprive them of
their children.And to the people,
This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I will take the Israelites out of
the nations where they have gone. I will gather them from all around and
bring them back into their own land.Although Ezekiel wrote these words while the Israelites were in
Babylon, they were not fulfilled in the nation’s return from exile
there. Like Isaiah before him (Isaiah 11:11) Ezekiel
was speaking of the second and final return. Therefore in 1948, when
Israel took its place among the nations of the world again for the first
time in nearly 2000 years, students of prophecy recognized the
fulfillment of the primary sign that the end of the age was upon us.
Jesus said that some from the generation being born when this happened
would still be alive when He returns (Matt. 24:34). Both Psalm 90:10 and Isaiah 23:15
hint that an average Biblical life span is about 70 years. Since 63
years have passed since Israel became a nation again after being absent
for nearly 1900 years, students of prophecy have cause to believe that
the end of the age is upon us.

2. Jerusalem Will Be In Jewish Hands… Luke 21:24

They will fall by the sword and will be taken as prisoners to all
the nations. Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles until the
times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.The Lord prophesied that the reunification of Jerusalem as a Jewish
City would be a sign that foreign (gentile) influence over His land, and
indeed the world, was coming to an end (Luke 21:24).
Fulfillment of this prophecy began in 1967, and scholars saw it as
another major sign that the End of the Age had begun. The almost world
wide effort to take the city apart again is in essence a battle of
wills. Nearly every Israeli leader has stood firmly on a pledge to keep
Jerusalem united forever as Israel’s capital, but the unbelieving
leaders of the world are just as resolutely determined to divide it.The Lord said that at the End of the Age He will make Jerusalem a cup
that sends all the surrounding peoples reeling, an immovable rock for
all nations. All who try to move it will injure themselves. (Zechariah 12:2-3)
This past year much of the talk against Israel has been focused on
Jerusalem. American leaders, traditionally some of Israel’s most loyal
allies, have publicly called East Jerusalem occupied territory and
demanded that no more Jewish homes be built there. They’ve even tried
to halt construction in undisputed neighborhoods. Through out the year
the European Union has pushed for an official declaration dividing
Jerusalem to make way for a future Palestinian State to have part of the
city as its capital. A significant number of countries have been
working with the Palestinians to force UN recognition of a Palestinian
state in the Promised Land, with East Jerusalem as its capital. Behind
all this of course is a spiritual battle of massive proportions. While
there’s no doubt as to the out come, the battle continues to be a fierce
one.I’ve come to believe that Jerusalem won’t really be free of Gentile
“trampling” until the Lord returns. Daniel’s prophecy that Gentile
Dominion would not end until the Lord establishes His kingdom (Daniel 2:36-45), Zechariah’s prophecy of the city being captured and divided just before the Lord’s return (Zech. 14:2), and John’s observations in Rev. 11:1-2
of the gentiles trampling the outer court of the Temple during the
Great Tribulation all confirm this. But even so, the fact that Jerusalem
is back in Jewish hands is another big sign that the End is coming
soon.

3. A Moslem Coalition Armed And Led By Russia Will Attack The Holy Land… Ezek. 38:2-6

“Son of man, set your face against Gog, of the land of Magog, the
chief prince of Meshech and Tubal; prophesy against him. This is what
the Sovereign Lord says: I am against you, O Gog, chief prince of
Meshech and Tubal. I will turn you around, put hooks in your jaws and
bring you out with your whole army–your horses, your horsemen fully
armed, and a great horde with large and small shields, all of them
brandishing their swords. Persia, Cush and Put will be with them, all
with shields and helmets, also Gomer with all its troops, and Beth
Togarmah from the far north with all its troops–the many nations with
you.”Numerous historical references make it plain that Magog stands for
modern Russia, and the other countries named here form a coalition based
on their common religion, Islam. (Today Russia is 30% Moslem and
growing.) Among them are Iran, several North African countries, Eastern
European countries along the Danube, and the Turkic nations of Asia
Minor. A quick look at a world map will reveal that these areas are
home to some of the most radical Islamic groups. (For a detailed
explanation of the modern nations to which these Biblical names refer,
read “An In Depth Look At The Modern Equivalent To Biblical Names in Ezek.38″)The Russians are already a major supplier of arms for the Moslem
coalition, just as Ezekiel prophesied, and will be drawn into joining in
this battle by God Himself. Russia’s barely disguised policy of
becoming the major outside force in the Middle East is playing right
into the Lord’s hands. Russia has moved part of its Black Sea fleet,
including its only aircraft carrier, into the Eastern Mediterranean off
the coast of Syria and has recently deployed shore to ship and
anti-aircraft missile batteries in Syria as well. Russia and Iran are
well into the implementation of a $50 billion deal to provide Iran with
nuclear power. The 10 reactors called for in the deal are supposedly for
electrical power generation, but most western leaders are convinced
they’ll be used to build bombs, too. Some experts had claimed that Iran
would become a nuclear power this past year, but despite the extensive
damage caused by the mysterious Stuxnet computer virus and several
unexplained explosions, experts still think a bomb is possible in less
than a year. Israel and the US have both vowed to prevent that ever
happening and after a period of vacillation the language coming out of
Washington at year end seems to be getting tougher again. In fact, CBS
News has predicted the US will attack Iran sometime in 2012.The major obstacle to an early fulfillment of this prophecy is the
reference to its occurrence at a time when Israel is “a peaceful and
unsuspecting people” (Ezekiel 38:11). This certainly is not the case today, but Psalm 83 and Isaiah 17
are yet-to-be-fulfilled prophecies that appear to involve all of
Israel’s next door neighbors in another unsuccessful attempt to wipe the
Jewish nation off the map. The psalmist pleads with the Lord to
intervene and defeat Israel’s attackers. A victory by Israel would
explain why none of them are named in Ezekiel’s list of antagonists,
although you’d expect them to near the top of the list. It would also
explain how Israel could be living in a perceived state of safety as Ezekiel 38:11 requires.
Three of Israel’s neighbors, Syria, Hamas and Hizbollah, are still
making frantic preparations for war, insisting there will be one very
soon. Not surprisingly, these preparations are being bought and paid
for by Iran. Through out 2011 experts on both sides publicly announced
their conclusions that war is imminent, but at year’s end it hasn’t
happened yet although at least one intelligence service is predicting a
very high likelihood in the first half of January.But two other pre-requisites for Ezekiel’s battle are clearly being
met. In past studies I’ve shown that Turkey will be on the Moslem side
in Ezekiel’s battle, but for years Turkey has enjoyed a strong
relationship with Israel. That all began to change in 2010 and has
continued in 2011. Turkey’s Prime minister Erdogan believes Turkey’s
destiny is to rebuild the Ottoman Empire into the new Middle Eastern
powerhouse. He’s getting cozy with Iran and Syria to accomplish this.
From all outward appearances Turkey has landed solidly in the camp of
the Moslem coalition.Till now Israel really hasn’t had any wealth to speak of, but recent
oil and gas discoveries, said to be worth billions of dollars, could
create the wealth necessary to make Israel an attractive target for
attack. Just recently geologists have revised their predictions of the
potential gas reserves sharply upward. This could fulfill the prophecy
of Ezekiel 38:13 that Russia will be looking for
plunder. There could be enough natural gas to supply Israel’s needs for
more than 100 years while turning the country from a net importer to a
net exporter. Russia is already looking for ways to get involved in
bringing this gas to market, and according to Ezekiel they’ll go to war
in what will turn out to be a failed attempt to do so.I believe the removal of the US as Israel’s powerful ally is also
necessary to pave the way for Ezekiel’s battle, because I don’t think
the Moslem coalition will attack until they’re sure the US won’t
retaliate. Any one of several scenarios currently being played out
could accomplish this, especially since our national policy toward
Israel is not what it once was. A double dip recession could turn the
nation inward again and cause us to lose interest in defending Israel.
Further decline of the dollar on world markets could even render us
financially unable to do so. The threat or actual occurrence of a major
terrorist attack could cause us to stand down. And finally, the
Rapture of the Church could deprive the US of the ability to respond.
Any one of these would mean serious trouble for the US and all of them
have a better than average probability of coming to pass in the year
ahead. In summary, it’s a becoming a whole lot easier to see the US
abandoning its commitment to Israel.When the time is right, having recently taken His church to Heaven,
the Lord will use this battle to orchestrate His reconciliation with
Israel, and on its heels the anti Christ will emerge with a peace plan
that includes a Jewish Temple. So once this battle takes place, end
times prophecy will really go on fast forward.

4. The Ancient Roman Empire Will Re-Emerge As A Political Force… Rev 17:9-10

“This calls for a mind with wisdom. The seven heads are seven
hills on which the woman sits. They are also seven kings. Five have
fallen, one is, the other has not yet come; but when he does come, he
must remain for a little while.”This one is a little obscure if you don’t know your history. When
John was writing this, about 95AD, there had been five great world
powers; Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Persia, and Greece. All were conquered
and absorbed. The current power was Rome, which was never really
conquered and will re-emerge at the end of the age, according to Daniel 9:26.Daniel 2:36-45 describes Gentile Dominion from
Daniel’s time forward (Egypt and Assyria had already fallen) in the form
of a giant statue representing the four remaining Kingdoms. Babylon
was the head of gold. Persia was the chest and arms of silver. Greece
was the belly and thighs of bronze, followed by the two appearances of
Rome, two legs of iron (Biblical Rome) and two feet of iron mixed with
clay (the revived Roman Empire). Read it carefully and you’ll find some
interesting things in the description of the two feet upon which the
statue stands. In the first place iron and clay don’t mix. We can
imagine sticky clay serving as glue that holds pieces of iron together,
but the language describes a clay that’s made of dust and already baked,
hard and brittle like shards of pottery. You can’t make random pieces
of iron and pottery adhere.The two iron legs of the statue describe the two divisions of the
Roman Empire of Biblical times, Western and Eastern. Today the territory
of the Western division is occupied by Europe, while the Eastern
territory holds the Islamic countries of the Middle East. They’re the
two feet of iron mixed with clay, and both have their problems.As of this writing the Western division is said to be on the ropes
due to economic problems. Some predict these problems will prompt a
major re-configuration of the Western leg in 2012 as the weak economies
are cast adrift to avoid bringing down the stronger ones. Experts also
wonder if the combined defeats spoken of in Psalm 83 and Ezekiel 38-39
will render the Eastern leg incapable of being part of the World Empire
of the End Times. But Daniel had both the statue’s feet in view in
chapter 2 so both divisions of the Roman Empire have to be present at
the End of the Age. The coming year will almost certainly bring some
eye-popping changes to our understanding of what this End Times Empire
will look like.

5. The World Will Embrace A Single Religion… Rev 13:8

All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast–all whose
names have not been written in the book of life belonging to the Lamb
that was slain from the creation of the world.Make no mistake about it. Islam is the major religious force in the
world today and the goal is nothing less than world domination, by any
means necessary. It’s the world’s fastest growing religion and is second
only to Christianity in number of adherents. Already nearly one out of
every four inhabitants of the world is Moslem, and like most Christians
and Jews they don’t really know what they believe or why. I’m no
prophet, but as I look into the future, it’s much easier for me to see
Islam riding its current wave of momentum to fill the void left by the
departure of the Church than it is to imagine some watered down mix of
apostate Christianity and New Age Mysticism doing so.Much has been written recently about al Mahdi, a figure out of Moslem
prophecies who bears a striking resemblance to Christian prophecies of
the anti-Christ. For example, both show a leader coming on the scene
during a time of great turmoil on Earth. Both depict him as man of
peace who will have a seven year reign, head up a one world religion and
one world government, and claim supernatural origins. Both prophecies
culminate in a battle between good and evil that brings about Earth’s
final judgment. It’s as if they’re pointing to the same person. The
difference is that in Islam he’s a good guy, while the Bible calls him
evil.Take this charismatic political and religious leader with his
supernatural power, add the widely held but incorrect belief that God
and Allah are the same, and that Islam is a religion of peace, and then
subtract the spirit of discernment that will disappear with the Church
and you can see how he could be the straw that a world on the brink of
disaster grasps for survival.

6. The World Will Accept A Single Government… Rev 13:3

The whole world was astonished and followed the beast.The last US presidential election showed how quickly a fearful and
disillusioned people will get behind someone who promises to change
things. When you look at the shape of the world it doesn’t take much to
imagine circumstances getting to a point where the whole world will
agree to follow a leader who will promise to bring order out of chaos.
Whether it’s Global Warming (now called Climate Change), the decline of
the US dollar, the collapse of Europe, or war in the Middle East, the
one solution everyone is talking about is some form of one world
government. With the things that already threaten world stability
getting worse by the day, how much more frantic will people be after
millions of their neighbors suddenly disappear in the rapture without
warning or explanation, and there’s been a nuclear exchange that brings
destruction from Europe through the Middle East and into Russia? All it
will take is a leader who can persuade people he can fix things to bring
this prophecy to fulfillment. By many accounts, this leader is standing
in the wings awaiting his cue.

7. Babylon Will Re-Emerge As A Prominent City In World Affairs… Rev 18:2-3

With a mighty voice he shouted: “Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the
Great! She has become a home for demons and a haunt for every evil
spirit, a haunt for every unclean and detestable bird. For all the
nations have drunk the maddening wine of her adulteries. The kings of
the earth committed adultery with her, and the merchants of the earth
grew rich from her excessive luxuries.”You may not know it, but Babylon is being made ready to accept its
destiny as a city of power in the end times. It’s just a ceremonial
city right now, but 20 years ago nobody even knew it existed at all. One
of the shocks of Gulf War 1 was the discovery of Babylon standing there
on the banks of the Euphrates River again. Today there’s a concerted
effort underway to complete what Saddam Hussein began and return
Babylon to world prominence. The government of Iraq has decided that
making Babylon an international tourist destination is in the country’s
best interest, and the US is sponsoring a feasibility study to see how
this can be accomplished.Because of Babylon’s current lack of importance in the world, some
students of prophecy search for an allegorical fulfillment of its
destruction described in Rev. 18, and of course many see the USA or some American city as a logical candidate. But remember, even though in Revelation 17:9 John describes “mystery Babylon” as seated on seven hills, a prophecy in Zechariah 5:5-11
shows it being moved “to the plains of Shinar” a reference to ancient
Mesopotamia called Iraq today. We can’t switch from literal to
allegorical interpretations of Scripture without clear direction, and
where Babylon is concerned no such direction exists. In fact the
opposite is true. Almost from the beginning, the Bible has been a tale
of two cities. Jerusalem is the city of God while Babylon has always
been the city of man. Both disappeared from the world stage for many
centuries, but when Jerusalem came back it was to its original
location. The Bible says the same will be true of Babylon.

Birth Pains … Matt. 24:6-8

You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it
that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still
to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains. Experts say the big things to watch for in 2012 will be the actions
of nation against nation and kingdom against kingdom. The first of these
will likely take place in the Middle East and will center around
Syria. Following its success in Libya, Qatar has formed a
multi-national rapid deployment force of Sunni Moslem fighters for the
purpose of aiding Syrian anti-Government forces to topple Pres. Assad’s
regime. The first contingent has already been assembled in Turkey, near
the Syrian border. Many of these fighters are from Libya and Iraq and
are backed by Saudi Arabia and Turkey, with the US as a silent partner.
The possibility of this spilling over into Lebanon and Israel is thought
to be very high and could bring the fulfillment of Psalm 83 and Isaiah 17 early in 2012.There will also be big problems in the EU if the more stable
countries try to expel those whose financial instability would otherwise
threaten to bring the whole Union down. World financial leaders have
warned that Europe’s failure to resolve these difficulties will plunge
the whole world back into an even worse recession than the one we’ve
supposedly just come out of. Predictions are being made of widespread
civil unrest as the consequence of failure. These same observers
consider a workable solution to be unlikely and say that 2012 could very
well begin the world’s time of payback for years of overspending.Food prices have retreated somewhat from their all time highs of last
year, but experts warn us not to relax. The price of food will
continue to be volatile and in the poorer countries will still consume
more than 45% of household income. Already 1 out of every 6 people in
the world goes to bed hungry every night. Experts have said it would
only take one or two years of poor crop production to bring a serious
famine to the world. Many are concluding that 2011 was a bad year and
2012 won’t be any better.Earthquakes are now an everyday occurrence. During 2011 there was a
5.0 or higher earthquake somewhere in the world just about every day
with the most expensive one in history ($235 billion) being the 9.0
quake in Japan.The Lord said these birth pangs would be the early warning signs of
the approaching End of the Age, so I have included the above examples
to confirm my belief that we’re very close to our last days on Earth.
The consensus from the professionals seems to be that things aren’t
going to get better any time soon and could likely get much worse by the
middle of 2012. That may be true for the world, but we’re told to walk
by faith not by sight (2 Cor. 5:7) because our citizenship is in Heaven and we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ (Phil. 3:20).
When we see these things begin to take place we’re to stand up and lift
up our heads because our redemption is drawing near (Luke 21:28). click on a title below to read the articleWhere is the United States in Prophecy?
2. Israel- God's Timepiece
3. A Revived Roman Empire?
4. The Gog/Magog War
5. Apostate Christianity
6. The Rise of Islam
7. Increase in Knowledge/New Technologies
8. Christian Worldviews/Issues
9. Other World Events To WatchClick here to
learn more about these trends

Syria, Small but Significant

Why should we be concerned with this small Middle Eastern
nation? A prophecy in the small biblical book of Amos answers that
question!

The United States attacked a strategic target in the Sukkiraya Farms
near the Syrian town of Abu Kamal late on Oct. 26. A U.S.
counterterrorism official said the target was the head of a network that
funneled fighters, weapons and cash into Iraq. Syria claimed that the
Americans attacked the occupants of a civilian building, killing a man,
his four children and another husband and wife. (An eyewitness to the
funeral the next day said that there were seven adult males and no young
children.)
With the world's financial markets in meltdown, should we be concerned
with what happens in faraway Syria? This event must seem unworthy of a
second thought for most people. Perhaps you haven't even read or heard
of this attack.
Abu Kamal is only about 5 miles from the border of Iraq. U.S.
intelligence believes that 90 percent of the foreign fighters entering
Iraq do so through Syria; many of them through this difficult-to- defend
region. Frustrated with a lack of cooperation from Syria in shutting
down this terrorist pipeline, the Americans took matters into their own
hands.

Obama administration will continue policy

There are reports of a new executive order from the U.S. president,
authorizing American troops to cross international borders for the sake
of self-defense and protecting American lives. Already, the incoming
Obama administration has indicated that it will not reverse this or
related executive orders.
The U.S. mission in Abu Kamal ignited a diplomatic furor on several
fronts. Syria's relationship with Washington had actually been improving
of late, but this caused a furious anti-American backlash. Thousands of
Syrian citizens demonstrated angrily throughout the country. The BBC
reported that, while the protests were government organized, an "angry
mood...seems to have seized the whole nation."
In the interest of regional stability, the fledgling Iraqi government
is seeking to build a good relationship with neighboring Syria. Yet Iraq
just signed an agreement for American forces to remain in the country
until 2011. The anti-American feeling in Syria makes for awkward times
between Damascus and Baghdad.
There are also possible ramifications with Iraq's eastern neighbor,
Iran, which is closely allied with Syria. Iran vigorously protested the
American raid.

The difference Syria can make

Still, you might wonder, why should you care about what happens in
Syria? Even though it is a military-dominated regime, it is relatively
weak. When Israel recently bombed a suspected nuclear facility in Syria,
Damascus lacked the ability and/or the will to do more than protest.
Syria is a poor country, and therefore its economy is not a crucial
factor in the world market. And despite its Middle Eastern location, it
is not a significant oil producer.
So why should anyone outside the region be concerned with Syria?
Another nation that voiced angry protests over the U.S. attack was
Russia. It has probably not escaped your notice that Russia has all but
publicly declared a return to the Cold War against the United States and
U.S. interests. Stratfor, an independent intelligence organization,
warns that there are many signs that Russia is beginning again to launch
"proxy wars"—striking at the United States and American interests
through any willing antagonist.
As it did decades ago, Russia is renewing military ties with Syria.
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad traveled to Moscow in August to discuss
how to expand weapon purchases and the sharing of military technology,
including having Russian missiles on Syrian soil.
For its part, Moscow hopes to establish a naval base in the Syrian port
of Tartus on the Mediterranean Sea. It's possible that a Russian
warship fleet will soon be stationed in the Mediterranean!
The Russians are likely to seize upon the recent American raid as an
excuse to further the course they've already embarked upon with
Damascus.

Syria's strategic past, present and future

Centuries ago, Syria's location was strategic, as it was on the main
land route between Asia, Europe and Egypt. It partially fulfilled a
major biblical prophecy as a king of the North, mentioned in Daniel 11.
(A king of the North will come on the scene again at the end of the
age.)
Later, it figured prominently in Islamic conquests, becoming part of
the Ottoman Empire. Of course, Syria's present geographical boundaries
didn't exist until created by the victorious allies after World War I.
(All of this history, including an explanation of Daniel 11 and the
kings of the North and South, is presented in our booklet The Middle East in Bible Prophecy. )
With the increasing dominance of sea and later air travel, Syria's
location is no longer pivotal to commerce. Even so, it remains
strategically important today, bordering Lebanon, Turkey, Iraq, Jordan
and Israel.
The infamous Bekaa Valley lies just across the Syrian border in
Lebanon, which is the principal training area for Hezbollah. Syria helps
finance and protect this Iranian-backed terrorist group, as well as
allowing itself to be a virtual pipeline through which Iran pumps
additional arms and funds to Hezbollah.
Syria gives safe harbor to additional terrorist groups, including Hamas and lesser-known militant groups operating in Israel.
A massive al-Qaeda terrorist attack on Jordan was planned and launched
from Syria a few years ago. Thankfully, it was discovered and thwarted.
Jordanian intelligence estimated it could have killed 60,000 people with
chemical weapons that are believed to be part of Saddam Hussein's
weapon stockpiles now hidden in Syria.
Turkey, just north of Syria, is presently seeking membership in the
European Union. Turkey would also like to extend its influence in the
Middle East after the United States withdraws from Iraq. A stable Syria
is greatly in Turkey's interest.

Syria and the prophet Amos

God speaks through the ancient prophet Amos about Syria's significance
in the end time. Amos is called a "minor prophet" not because of
importance, but simply because it is a shorter book than others. Amos's
warning to Damascus (Amos 1:3-5) was one of eight prophecies given to tribes or countries in the region of Syria and Israel.
Damascus was one of Israel's long-term rivals. Verse 3 says Damascus
has "threshed Gilead with implements of iron." It is likely that the
threshing attack is the same incident referred to in 2 Kings 13:7.
"The metaphor Amos used is that of a threshing sledge, an agricultural
implement made of parallel boards fitted with sharp points of iron or
stone...The intensity of the metaphor, however, implies the most extreme
decimation and may hint at especially cruel or inhuman treatment" ( Expositor's Bible Commentary, note on Amos 1:3).
Verse 4 mentions Hazael and Ben-Hadad. They were father and son, both
kings of Syria , noted for their cruel treatment of Israel (see 2 Kings 8:12-13).
The reference in verse 5 to Aven ( Awn in Hebrew) "may be...to the valley between Lebanon and Anti-Lebanon, called El-Bekaa, where are the ruins of the Baalbek temple of the sun; so the LXX [i.e., Septuagint] renders it On, the same name as the city in Egypt bears, dedicated to the sun-worship (Gen 41:45; Margin, Ezek 30:17, Heliopolis, 'the city of the sun'). It is termed by Amos 'the valley of Aven,' or 'vanity,' from the worship of idols in it" ( Jamieson, Fausset and Brown's Commentary, note on Amos 1:5).
The possible detailed mention of the Bekaa Valley is startling, given
its position today in Middle Eastern geopolitics. Specifically, the
prophecy says, "I [God] will also break the gate bar of Damascus , and
cut off the inhabitant from the Valley of Aven" (verse 5).

"A cosmic holocaust"

Throughout this short prophecy is the repeated theme that God's punishment is to send "fire" that will "devour." Jamieson, Fausset and Brown's Commentary explains this as "flames of war (Ps 78:63)," and explains that it "occurs also in vss. 7, 10, 12, 14, and 2:2, 5" (note on verse 4). In addition, Amos 4:11 speaks of an actual conflagration, such as destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.
This "fire" is much more than one of the countless cross-border wars
between Syria and Israel. After introducing fiery destruction in the
prophecy, Amos later refers to this war as "it" in Amos 1:14 and Amos 2:2, 5. The Anchor Bible Commentary
states: "All eight oracles refer to the same 'it', which will not be
retracted or reversed. There was a single decree covering them
all...declaring judgment on the entire region as a unit...This unity
suggests one cosmic holocaust, not just several invasions that would pick these countries off one by one" (note on Amos 1).
In its somewhat difficult-to-follow language, Amos warns of a great
end-time destruction that is tied in with the nation of Syria and that
will engulf many nations.
Jesus spoke of such an ultimate catastrophe, which will threaten the
continued existence of the world: "For then there will be great
distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—and never
to be equaled again. If those days had not been cut short, no one would
survive" (Matthew 24:21-22, New International Version).
Therefore, the future of seemingly insignificant Syria is crucial to
the entire world! We need to keep a watchful eye on what happens there,
for it is a trigger point, leading to a cascade of events that will
change the world forever.

In The News: Greece, Egypt And Syria

The elections in Egypt and the ramifications to the EU and updates on Syria dominate the news today:

The
Muslim Brotherhood's Mohamed Mursy said on Monday after his group
declared him winner in a presidential race that he would be a president
for all Egyptians and said he would not "seek revenge or settle scores."

Mursy was speaking at a news
conference after the Brotherhood declared he had won 52.5 percent of
the vote compared to the 47.5 percent secured by his rival, ex-military
man Ahmed Shafiq, with almost all votes counted. Shafiq's campaign
challenged the result.

But
shortly before the final result the generals who have run the country
since the overthrow of Mubarak issued new rules in a constitutional
declaration outlining the president's powers that made clear real power remains with the army.

Islamist
candidate Mohammed Morsi declared victory Monday in Egypt's first free
presidential election since Hosni Mubarak's ouster 16 months ago. But
the military council that has ruled since the uprising issued an interim
constitution just as polls were closing that gave the generals sweeping
authority to maintain their grip on power and subordinate the nominal
head of state

If
Morsi's victory is confirmed in the official result, it would be the
first victory of an Islamist as head of state in the stunning wave of
pro-democracy uprisings that swept the Middle East the past year. But
the military's last minute power grab sharpens the possibility of
confrontation and more of the turmoil that has beset Egypt since
Mubarak's overthrow.

Just
a few days before the presidential runoff on Saturday and Sunday, the
military granted itself broad new powers to arrest civilians and a court
packed with judges appointed by Mubarak dissolved the parliament freely
elected after the uprising, which was dominated by the Muslim
Brotherhood.

The
Brotherhood challenged the military's power grab, saying Sunday it did
not recognize the dissolution of parliament. It also rejected the
military's right to issue an interim constitution and oversee the
drafting of a new one.

That
set up a potential power struggle over spheres of authority between
Egypt's two strongest forces - the military and the Brotherhood.

"The
next phase is more difficult. We must all unite against the oppressive
rule of the military council," one of its founders, Ahmed Maher, said.

Still,
the Brotherhood has no power to force recognition of the
parliament-created constituent assembly, which already seems discounted
after parliament's dissolution and is likely to be formally disbanded by
a pending court ruling. Lawmakers are literally locked out of
parliament, which is ringed by troops.

The
prospect that the generals will still hold most power even after their
nominal handover of authority to civilians cast a gloomy pall over the
presidential runoff, leaving many feeling the vote was essentially
meaningless.

"It
is as if the revolution never happened," Ayat Maher, a 28-year-old
mother of three who voted for Morsi in Cairo's central Abdeen district.
"The same people are running the country. The same oppression and the
same sense of enslavement. They still hold the keys to everything."

DEBKAfile’s
sources report that the council will not go directly up against the
Muslim Brotherhood, although it was often accused of plotting its
overthrow. What the generals are doing is maneuvering for a foothold
from which to bargain for a portion of rule. Reluctant to give up the
reins of government, they are nonetheless aware that Morsi may not only
prove to be the chosen president of millions of Egyptians, but enjoys
quiet backing from the Obama administration.

US
president Barack Obama’s goal from the outset of the Tahrir Square
revolution early last year was to get the Muslim Brotherhood installed
in government through the ballot box. He sees this as the grand
vindication of the vision he unveiled at Cairo University on June 4,
2009 in a speech reaching out to world Muslims.

Yes, the same Brotherhood who would like to destroy Israel. Give that some thought.

Israel,
it must be said, finds itself in a strategic pits deeper than ever
before as it faces the Islamist revolution overtaking Egypt. While
promising Israel every possible security perk, Obama has relentlessly
pursued a policy of accommodation with revolutionary Islam, both Shiite –
through a nuclear deal with Iran after it progressed beyond the point
of no return for building a bomb – and the Sunnis, by collaborating with
the Muslim Brotherhood and its branches.

However,
every Obama success in promoting Muslim power drops Israel further down
the strategic scale in the face of its empowered foes.

Meanwhile, the impact on Israel and the border with Egypt continues to present a problem:

Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak warned that the attacks from Sinai must be curbed.

"Whoever
is elected, we expect him to take responsibility for all of Egypt's
international commitments, including the peace treaty with Israel and
the security arrangements within Sinai, and to put a quick end to these
attacks," Barak told reporters following Monday's attack.

Greece’s two traditional political rivals are in a race to forge a coalition as the state’s cash dwindles, bank deposits flee and Europe demands renewed austerity pledges before releasing more emergency aid.

New Democracy
won 129 seats in the 300-seat parliament, according to Interior
Ministry projections with 99 percent of the vote counted. Pasok, which
has alternated in power with New Democracy over the past four decades,
won 33 seats, enough for the two of them to forge a coalition that backs
the creditors’ austerity demands.

Syriza matched its second-place ranking of last month by stepping up demands to abandon the fiscal-tightening program.

Political leaders in Europe
insist Greece enact spending cuts promised in return for 240 billion
euros ($305 billion) in rescue packages since 2010 while holding out the
possibility of granting extra time to meet targets for narrowing the
budget deficit.

“We will continue to stand by Greece,” European Union President Herman Van Rompuy
said in a statement following the vote. The Group of Seven
industrialized nations said in a statement that it’s in “all our
interests for Greece to remain in the euro area while respecting its
commitments.”

The
election results from Greece are in and the pro-bailout forces have
won, but just barely. It is being projected that the pro-bailout New
Democracy party will have about 130 seats in the 300 seat parliament,
and Pasok (another pro-bailout party) will have about 33 seats. Those
two parties have alternated ruling Greece for decades, and it looks like
they are going to form a coalition government which will keep Greece in
the euro.

Right
now the ingredients for a "perfect storm" are developing in Europe.
Government spending is being slashed all across the continent, ECB
monetary policy is very tight, new regulations and deteriorating
economic conditions are causing major banks to cut back on lending and
there is panic in the air.

Unless something dramatic changes, things are going to continue to get worse.

Yes, the Greek election results mean that Greece will stay in the euro - at least for now.

The bottom line? Europe needs a strong leader to lead them out of this mess.

The situation in Europe is very grim.

Greece is going to need bailouts for as far as the eye can see.

Spain is almost certainly going to need a huge bailout.

Italy is almost certainly going to need a huge bailout.

Ireland and Portugal look like they are going to need more money.

France is increasingly looking vulnerable, and Francois Hollande appears to have no real solutions up his sleeve.

As I have said so many times before, watch Europe.

Every few weeks there are headlines that declare that "Europe has been saved" but things just keep getting worse.

A number of warships of the Russian Black Sea Fleet are prepared to go
to Syria, the Russian General Staff told Itar-Tass on Friday.

“The
Mediterranean Sea is a zone of the Black Sea Fleet responsibility.
Hence, warships may go there in the case it is necessary to protect the
Russian logistics base in Tartous, Syria,” it said.

“Several
warships of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, including large landing ships
with marines aboard, are fully prepared to go on the voyage,” he said.

Tartous
is the only Russian naval base outside of the former Soviet territory –
this is the logistics center serving Russian ships on missions in the
Mediterranean Sea. The base opened in 1971 under an agreement with the
Syrian government.

Ships
carrying Russian commandos may soon sail to Syria to escort strongman
Bashar Assad to safety from the country where a rebellion against him is
growing fiercer.

The Interfax
news agency said Monday that two Russian navy ships are to sail to
Syria to protect Russian citizens and its naval base there. This would
be the first time since the current rebellion in Syria began that Russia
is sending extra troops to its base in Syria.

Cited by the Associated Press, Interfax
quoted an unidentified Russian navy official as saying that the Nikolai
Filchenkov and Caesar Kunikov amphibious assault vessels will be
heading to the Syrian port of Tartus.

The
Russian official mentioned nothing about evacuating Assad, but said the
ships will carry an unspecified number of marines to protect Russians
in Syria and evacuate materials from Tartus if necessary.

World
powers began two days of talks with Iran on Monday to try to end a
decade-long stand-off over Tehran's nuclear program and avert the threat
of a new war in the Middle East.

Experts
and diplomats say a breakthrough is unlikely, with Iran expected to
demand recognition of its right to enrich uranium for what it says is a
purely peaceful nuclear program.

The
sides are no closer to agreement despite two rounds of negotiations
since diplomacy over Iran's atomic program resumed in April after a
15-month hiatus.

Israel has threatened
to bomb Iran if no solution to the dispute is found, oil markets are
nervous over the prospect of intensifying regional tensions and the
frail world economy can ill afford a further increase in oil prices.

For the past few weeks, U.S. indications and warnings have picked up Israeli long-range strike practice and refueling

In
addition to long-range strike practice runs, sources say there also has
been a recall of “key personnel” and further movement of U.S.-supplied
anti-ballistic Patriot missiles.

The
Israelis also have been doing intelligence collection flights, as well
as early warning practice, which has been under way for more than a
month.

Such a report comes on the heels of other recent indications and warnings about Israeli war preparations.

Those
preparations include arming and fueling Israel’s nuclear-capable
Jericho II missiles and the deployment of covert intelligence ships near
Iran for intelligence-gathering and surveillance.

In
addition, Israel is preparing its own German-supplied electric
submarines which are capable of firing a nuclear-tipped cruise missile.
Israel has three such submarines and hopes to receive a fourth almost
any time.

This
suggests that Israel may put greater reliance on “stand-off” warfare
when it comes to any military strike against Iran. Such a strategy
includes the use of missiles and drones while using almost all military
aircraft to protect the immediate home front.

The Gog-MaGog Alliance

Almost every day now, we see he northern axis of the Gog-MaGog alliance
further forming and strengthening, and it is fascinating to watch.
Especially given that these prophecies were written around 2,500 years
ago.

President
Vladimir Putin expressed his reservations over the prospect of a
military strike in Iran, urging Israel Monday to learn from negative US
experience in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Putin's
comments were made in a meeting with Shimon Peres in Jerusalem, after
Israel's president asked the visiting leader to speak out on the Iran
issue.

"Look
at what happened to the Americans in Afghanistan and in Iraq. I told
Obama the same thing," the visiting president said in a meeting with his
Israeli counterpart, cautioning against hasty military action. "There
is no need to do things too quickly; one should not act without thinking
first."

"Iraq
has a pro-Iranian regime after everything that has happened there.
These things should be thought out ahead of time before doing something
one will regret later," he said. "One should not act prematurely."

Of
course...Russia is essentially building these nuclear facilities for
Iran - nuclear facilities which are being built in order to create arms
which can destroy Israel. If course Russia knows how to play the
international game, and makes the appropriate public comments but
underneath the exterior the alliance between Russia and Iran is visible
to anyone watching.

It is almost unnerving how "Damascus" seems to be the focus of this conflict.

Syrian
President Bashar Assad’s soldiers are using artillery in fierce clashes
against armed rebels near neighborhoods of government troops only five
miles from the capital of Damascus, according to the Syrian Observatory
for human rights.

Several people have been killed.

The
right group told foreign news agencies that the location of the
fighting is significant because it is home to families of government
soldiers and officers.

The most senior general to desert Assad escaped on Sunday, along with a colonel and more than 20 soldiers. The general fled into Turkey Sunday night from Damascus and reportedly had been responsible for a large ammunitions depot.

Russia has no plans to abandon its naval base in Tartus, Syria, Navy chief Vice Adm. Viktor Chirkov said on Monday.

“We need that base,” he said. “It will continue to operate as it has until now.”

The
Russian Navy needs the base to provide maintenance and technical
support to Russian warships in the Mediterranean, as well as those on an
anti-piracy mission in the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean, he said.

Turns
out that reports by the mainstream media of the Muslim Brotherhood
being ‘mostly secular’ and basically harmless, were somewhat off the
mark. They were only ‘mostly dead.’ The Muslim Brotherhood’s Mohammed
Morsi was named the winner of the Egyptian election for President

Upon
winning, Morsi claimed that very little would change, except of course
for the better. So, I guess that explains why, he has claimed “Our
Capital ‘Shall Be Jerusalem, Allah Willing’.” Sounds like a threat of
war to me.

A
year ago there were those of us who warned the Obama Administration of a
Muslim Brotherhood takeover in Egypt. We were castigated as alarmists
and loose cannons. Today our predictions have come to reality and the
ominous specter reminding us of the Iranian revolution is evident. The
Muslim Brotherhood claimed they would not run a presidential candidate.
Clearly the Arab Spring is nothing more than a radical Islamic
nightmare. Now we need to unequivocally reiterate our support to the
Coptic Christians and Israel. What an incredible foreign policy faux pas
by the second coming of President Jimmy Carter, the Obama
Administration. I call upon President Barack Obama to cut off American
foreign aid to Egypt, denounce the results of this election, repudiate
the Muslim Brotherhood, and all radical Islamist political entities.

Sadly,
West should not hold his breath on Obama and his administration’s
support. After all, Obama’s administration was so ‘worried’ that they
instructed Egypt’s military to cede power to The Muslim Brotherhood:

The
Obama administration warned Egypt’s military leaders on Monday to
speedily hand over power or risk losing billions of dollars in U.S.
military and economic aid to the country.

As
Egypt’s Islamist candidate claimed victory in a presidential run-off,
Pentagon and State Department officials expressed concern with a
last-minute decree by Egypt’s ruling military council giving itself
sweeping authority to maintain its grip on power and subordinate the
nominal head of state. The move followed last week’s dissolution of
parliament by an Egyptian court.

Egypt’s
newly-elected Muslim Brotherhood president Mohammed Mursi may cement
his victory with a coup against the Egyptian army, according to an
analyst at Egypt’s Al-Ahram Institute quoted in today’s Gulf News:

“Mursi will likely face resistance from state institutions mainly
inside the army and the police,” said Sobhi Assila, a political analyst.
“However, Mursi has a full team inside the Brotherhood who will assist
him in running the country’s affairs to overcome this expected
resistance. This may turn Egypt into another Gaza,” he said, referring
to the Israeli-besieged Palestinian enclave ruled by Hamas.

Hamas,
the Palestine chapter of the Muslim Brotherhood, seized power from the
Fatah-led Palestine Authority in the Battle of Gaza in June 2007,
following its electoral victory in the 2006 Palestine elections. There
haven’t been any elections in Gaza since then.

Before
Mursi’s victory was announced earlier today, Egypt’s secular parties
denounced the United States for intervening in the elections in support
of the Muslim Brotherhood. As Al-Ahram reported in its English edition
today:

The
US Embassy in Cairo refuted on its official Twitter account Sunday
circulating claims that the US administration was backing the Muslim
Brotherhood’s presidential candidate.

On
Thursday, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called on Egypt’s
ruling military council to fulfill its promise and hand over power to
the “legitimate election winner.”

Clinton,
on June 21m denounced the military’s attempt to curtail the powers of
the Muslim Brotherhood as “clearly troubling,” adding, “The military has
to assume an appropriate role which is not to interfere with, dominate
or try to subvert the constitutional authority.” In the Egyptian frame
of reference, that’s a vote for the Muslim Brotherhood.

The
time has come for the United States to give up on the notion of
democracy in the Middle East. It isn’t going to happen, at least not
anytime soon, and the country is starting to look silly with so many of
its intellectuals clinging to a notion that has no basis in reality.
Just look at Iraq, set upon a course that many Americans thought would
lead to democracy, and paid for with the blood of more than four
thousand American dead and some thirty-three thousand wounded. What do
we see in today’s Iraq? A budding dictatorship moving in the direction
of the last one—but with a big difference: this one is dominated by
Shiites, a power arrangement that appreciably enhances the regional
influence of neighboring Iran, considered by many Americans as their
country’s most nettlesome adversary.

Look
at Egypt, where the “Arab Spring” set American hearts aflutter with the
prospect of democratic pluralism. The lesson there is that it’s
impossible to overestimate the willingness of the traditional power
blocs to upend any democratic structures or procedures that threaten
their position and prerogatives in that venerable land.

And
yet in the face of all this, and more, many idealistic Americans hold
fast to the idea that if we can just provide assistance and guidance and
apply sufficient military power against the bad guys, democratic
institutions eventually will blossom in the region. The problem here
isn’t just that this notion lacks any shred of realism; more
significantly, it undergirds the constant call for America to apply
military force in the region on behalf of democracy . . . or the
prospect of democracy . . . or at least the prospect that some Middle
Eastern nation might begin a long journey toward democracy. Consider,
for example, Libya, where the demise of the dictator Muammar el-Qaddafi
led many Americans to visualize the stirrings of a democratic impulse,
made possible in large measure by America’s judicious application of
force.

Below we see two articles that could have been lifted directly from the pages of Orwell's "1984":

A
political website that contained stinging criticism of the Obama
administration and its handling of the Fast and Furious scandal was
ordered to be shut down by the Obama campaign’s ‘Truth Team’, according
to private investigator Douglas Hagmann, who was told by ISP GoDaddy his
site contained information that was “maliciously harmful to individuals
in the government.”

Speaking
with the chief investigator in the GoDaddy Abuse division, Hagmann
discovered, “Ultimately it was found that the complaint originated
ostensibly with a group associated with the campaign to re-elect Barack
Hussein Obama.”

Turning
to his contacts within government, Hagmann then contacted spoke with
another source who confirmed that the ‘Obama Truth Team’ was responsible
for the shut down order.

“I’m laying this right on the doorstep of the Obama Truth Team,” said Hagmann.

A
political website that contained stinging criticism of the Obama
administration and its handling of the Fast and Furious scandal was
ordered to be shut down by the Obama campaign’s ‘Truth Team’, according
to private investigator Douglas Hagmann, who was told by ISP GoDaddy his site contained information that was “maliciously harmful to individuals in the government"

EU: More Control, More Supervision

This was just too predictable. As we mentioned weeks ago, the EU,
particularly the Eurozone would either break up or head towards more
centralized control - and we are seeing more and more evidence of their
moving towards the more control outcome:

The plan is to be presented at an EU summit in late June, the report said.

Under
global pressure to put an end to the turmoil rocking financial markets
and creating deep economic uncertainty, the leaders want to point the
way toward a lasting solution, an unnamed high-ranking EU official told
the newspaper.

The
proposals being considered would include European institutions having
more power over national budgets; a European supervisory body for the
banking sector with new powers; harmonised fiscal, tax, foreign and
security policies; and reform of social welfare programmes.

Barroso
pleaded on Wednesday for a tighter eurozone union to avoid "financial
disintegration," including "a banking union with integrated financial
supervision and single deposit guarantee scheme."

German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Monday (4 June) said she supports more integration in the eurozone - a veiled reference to pooling debt provided EU institutions gain more supervisory powers.

"We need more Europe, not less, especially in the eurozone.

This means that EU institutions, the EU commission included, should be granted more possibilities to control.

Otherwise
it would be impossible for a currency union to work," Merkel said
alongside EU commission chief Jose Manuel Barroso who visited her in
Berlin ahead of a 28-29 June summit.

"The
world wants to know how we are picturing the political union matching
the monetary union. An answer to this question has to be formulated in
the near future and Germany will be a constructive dialogue partner in
this regard," she said.

Daniel chapters 2 and 7 reveal a
strong connection between the formation of the European
Union and end-times scripture. The possible fulfillment
of this scripture began in 1950 when the Roman Empire
began to show signs of being revived. In 1950 the
European Coal and Steel Community was proposed as a means
of achieving economic unification in Europe following the
war. The hope was that this would strengthen economic
trade in Europe. This unified effort led to the signing
of the treaties of Rome in 1957, which established the
European Economic Community (EEC), and the European Atomic
Energy Council. That treaty was taken a step further with
the signing of the Brussels Treaty in 1965. The Brussels
Treaty began the process of rebuilding the old Roman
Empire through reunification of European states under one
political system, one economic system, and eventually
under the protection of one military force. The treaty
established a commission, council, parliament, and court
for the union. The revived Roman Empire prophesied in the
Bible was well on its way to becoming a reality.

More states were added to this
growing union in 1973, 1981, and 1986, making up the 10
permanent member states of today’s European Union. In
2002, the Euro was introduced as the first step toward a
unified single currency in Europe. Upon adopting the
Euro, Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Guterres raved,
“As Peter was the rock on which the church was built, so
the Euro is the rock on which the European Union will be
built.” 3

The EU today is made up of over 25
countries, however the ten nations of the Western European
Alliance have a separate status as full members, while
those nations who joined subsequent to the original 10
have only associate membership, or observer status. This
10 nation military wing of the EU may very well fulfill
the prophecy of the beast with 10 horns from Daniel 7:7-8
and Revelations 13:1. On this beast’s back will ride the
woman that symbolizes a global religious system that is to
appear before Christ returns to set up His kingdom.

The purpose of the EU’s creation was
and is, ultimately, to create a European super-state or
“United States of Europe”, as some have suggested naming
it, that would eventually rival the United States in
influence and military might. In 1999, Javier Solana
became the High Representative for the EU’s foreign and
security policy, and through recommendation 666, he
was given emergency powers over the military wing of the
EU in 2000. All that currently remains to create a truly
revived Roman Empire is the creation of a permanent
executive branch of government and the full integration of
the new Euro currency. With the introduction of the new
EU constitution, the groundwork is being laid for just
such an executive branch and economic system.

So how does this all relate to Bible
prophecy? Let’s start with the book of Daniel. Daniel
chapter 2 records that the ancient Babylonian King
Nebuchadnezzar had a dream concerning the Last Days. No
Babylonian could interpret the dream; however, Daniel, a
captive of Judah, was able to interpret Nebuchadnezzar’s
dream (Daniel 2:25-30), as God had already revealed the
dream to him (Daniel 2:19-23).

Daniel 2:25-30 says, “You, O king,
your thoughts came while you were on your bed about what
would happen in the future, and the Revealer of Secrets
informed you what will be. As for me, it is not because I
possess more wisdom than any other being that this secret
was revealed to me, but rather to make the interpretation
known to the king, so that you may know what has occupied
your thoughts.”

Daniel recounted the dream to
Nebuchadnezzar, and interpreted the king’s dream of a huge
statue by explaining the 4 major components of the
statue.

1. A head of Gold

2. Breast and arms of silver

3. Belly and thighs of bronze

4. Feet of iron and clay

Most Bible scholars interpret these 4
components to represent the 4 major empires that have
existed in the world’s history. Daniel confirms that the
first of these empires is Babylon, ruled by Nebuchadnezzar.

Daniel 2:37-38 “Thou, O king, art a
king of kings; for the God of heaven hath given thee a
kingdom, power, and strength, and glory. And wheresoever
the children of men dwell, the beasts of the field and the
fowls of the heaven hath he given into thine hand, and
hath made thee ruler over them all. Thou art this head of
Gold.”

Daniel goes on to identify the second
and third empires that will emerge following the
Babylonian empire.

Daniel 2:39 “And after you will arise
another kingdom inferior to you, and [then] another, a
third kingdom, of copper, which will rule the whole
earth.”

History records the empires that
followed Babylon were Medo-Persia and Greece. Daniel 5
tells us that Nebuchadnezzar’s successor, Belshazzar, was
conquered by Persia. The second empire of
Nebuchadnezzar’s dream was established from modern-day
Iran to Asia Minor (Turkey).

The third empire to arise (Daniel
2:39b) and rule the earth was Greece, whose reign began at
the time of Alexander the Great. The fourth empire will
be a revived model of this Roman Empire. Daniel did,
after all, tell Nebuchadnezzar that his vision was about
“what will be at the End of Days” (Daniel 2:28). The
fourth empire is described as follows:

Daniel 2:40 “It will be strong, yet
mixed. It will be a diverse empire (part of potters clay
and part of iron, the kingdom will be divided), but will
be strong (but there shall be in it of the strength of
iron)

Prophecies elsewhere in the Bible
also describe this fourth empire of the final days, and by
studying these we can examine further any indications that
would point to the European Union as the final world
empire that will be ruled by the antichrist before Messiah
returns.

DANIEL’S VISION OF 4 BEASTS

Following Nebuchadnezzar’s reign,
Daniel also had a vision of these 4 kingdoms, but this
time they were represented by 4 beasts. (Daniel 7:1-24)

The first beast in Daniel 7:4 is
described as being “like a lion, and it has eagles
wings”. Interestingly, the emblem of the ancient Babylon
was a lion with eagles wings.

The second beast is described in
Daniel 7:5 – “Then behold! Another beast, a second one,
similar to a bear; it was placed on one side, and there
were three ribs in its mouth between its teeth; and this
is what they said to it, ‘Arise, devour much flesh!’” The
second beast in Daniel 7 is generally accepted as being
Medo-Persia because Persia devoured much of the Middle
East and Asia, and the Persian Empire had three capitals,
Susa, Persepolis, and the conquered Babylon.

Of the third beast Daniel 7:6 says
“After this I was watching and behold! Another beast, like
a leopard, with four bird’s wings on its back; the beast
had four heads, and it was given dominion”. This beast is
symbolic of the empire of Greece left behind by Alexander
the Great. When Alexander the Great died in 323 C.E., his
empire was divided between and ruled by 4 of his
generals.

The following verses describe the 4th
beast, or kingdom of Daniel’s dream.

Daniel 7:7-8 “After this I was
watching in night visions, and behold! A fourth beast,
exceedingly terrifying, awesome and strong. It has
immense iron teeth, and it was devouring and crumbling,
and trampling its feet what remained. It was different
from all the beasts that had preceded it, and it had ten
horns. As I was contemplating the horns, behold! Another
horn, a small one, came up among them, and three of the
previous horns were uprooted before it. There were eyes
like human eyes in this horn, and a mouth speaking haughty
words”.

Daniel 7:23 “Thus he said, the fourth
beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon the earth, which
shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the
whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it to
peaces.

In the first verse we see a fourth
beast with 10 horns. The small horn, speaking haughty
words, rises up and conquers three of them. This
represents the antichrist that will come to power through
the 4th kingdom. The 10 horns, 3 of which are
subdued, are the 10 kings that make up the rulers of the 4th
kingdom. From this kingdom and the reign of antichrist
will come a global system of government that will rule
over the earth prior to the coming of Christ to establish
his Kingdom.

Daniel 7:24 “And the ten horns out of
this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise; and another
shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the
first, and he shall subdue three kings.”

The three kings that are subdued will
probably not approve of his rise to power or will object
to his far-reaching powers. It’s interesting that, prior
to the war in Iraq, France, Germany, and Belgium
threatened the EU nations that sided with the U.S. with
serious consequences if any EU partner joined the
coalition to remove Sadam Hussein.

Recent events may point to the
position that the future antichrist will fill in his rise
to power. In addition to creating an EU constitution,
plans are being discussed for an EU presidency that will
replace the current 6 month rotating presidency, creating
a powerful international leader with great influence at
the United Nations and on the global stage. The new
president would be elected by government heads of EU
members and would hold office for five years. Tony Blair
believes this new president “will become the public face
and driving force of Europe”2. German Foreign
Minister Joschka Fischer has gone so far as to say that
the Euro was the “first step to a federation”, and he went
on to say that he wanted a powerful president of the EU as
head of a European government with full legal and
executive power. He welcomed the progress made in
removing the “sovereign rights” of nations.3

We’re given a clue as to the identity
of the little horn in Daniel 9:26 – “And after threescore
and two weeks and the people of the prince that shall come
shall destroy the city and the sanctuary, and end thereof
shall be [as swept away] with a flood, and unto the end of
the war desolations are determined.”

We know that the people who destroyed
Jerusalem (the city) and the temple (the sanctuary) were
the Romans. From this people shall come the “prince that
is to come” or the Antichrist. We can expect then for the
Antichrist to rise up from a fourth kingdom that will be
the revived Roman Empire.

Daniel 7:25 says, “And he shall speak
great words against the most High, and shall wear out the
saints of the most High, and think to change times and
laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time
and times and the dividing of time.”

The Antichrist will speak blasphemous
words against God as he rules over the world, and there
will be intense persecution of the tribulation saints,
those who accept Christ after the rapture of His church.
A time and times and the dividing of time refers to the
three and a half years of the Great Tribulation (see Rev.
12:14; 135).

The EU is definitely becoming a world
power of clay (diversity) and iron (power) with striking
similarities to the fourth kingdom or fourth beast of
Daniel’s prophecies. A world power of so many ethnic
groups and representing so many states could easily become
a very influential leader at the United Nations and the
world. It’s possible that the U.N. is a beginning for
this world government that will eventually be ruled by a
revived Roman Empire and the Antichrist.

There are, however, other views on
these prophesies that can be considered. Some think that
the fourth kingdom is the revived Roman Empire (ten kings
are the 10 nation military alliance of the EU) and the
U.N. is the 4th beast (10 horns being the 10
bio-regions the UN has established for the globe). Only
time will tell which is the case.

If the EU is the revived Roman Empire
that will bring about the rise of Antichrist, then it is
important to look at the religious symbolism of the EU.
After all, riding on the beast’s back will be the harlot
that represents a global pagan religious system that will
unite the world and play a part in the persecution of the
tribulation saints (Rev. 17).

The EU flag has a circle of 12 stars
on a blue background. These stars were inspired by the
halo of 12 stars appearing around the Madonna as depicted
in Catholic pictures of her. Leon Marchal, former
secretary general of the Council of Europe, confirmed that
the stars are representative of “the woman of the
Apocalypse”. He expounded, “it’s wonderful that we have
gotten back to the introit of the new Mass of the
Assumption. It’s the corona stellarum duodecim of the
woman of the Apocalypse”.4 He is referencing
the woman in Revelation 12 who appears with a crown of 12
stars. The Bible uses this symbolism to represent Israel,
however the Catholic Church has always claimed that she
represents the Virgin Mary, “the mother of God”. A
leaflet titled “Building Europe Together” states that “The
European flag is a shared flag, blue with 12 gold stars
symbolizing completeness. The number will remain 12 no
matter how many countries there are in the European
Union.”

The anthem of the EU “Ode to Joy”
also contains religious symbolism. “Ode to Joy” is the
prelude to the last movement of Beethoven’s Ninth
Symphony, which has religious implications. EU
publications state that the anthem really is an “ode to
freedom, community, and peace”, however the lyrics, by
Friedrich von Schiller, are actually about the entering of
the shrine of a pagan goddess and the uniting of all men
in brotherhood, by the power of magic.5

Further evidence of a religious side
to the European Union is a poster that was issued by the
EU, showing the tower of Babel. The poster carried the
slogan “Many tongues, one voice.” As if the celebration
of the pagan tower that led God to confuse the languages
of a defiant people (Genesis 11) isn’t enough, a crane in
the background was shown rebuilding the tower. Now, once
again, a rebellious people are rebuilding mystery
Babylon. In a parliament building in Strasbourg, France,
you will find an enormous replica of the unfinished tower
of Babel that the secular press has named “Eurobabel”.

If that religious symbolism seems too
obscure to be that significant, perhaps a snapshot of
Revelation 17 will peak your interest in the religious
symbolism of the EU. Revelation 17 depicts a great harlot
riding on a beast. The beast in Revelation 17 represents
the world government and the great harlot is a global
religion that will ride in on its back. This harlot
riding a beast was used when Britain issued a stamp to
commemorate the first EU parliament election in 1979. It
is now the official picture of the EU, and is painted on
the dome of the parliament building in Brussels. It is
also pictured on the same building that holds the “Eurobabel”.

The EU constitution has also raised
the ire of protestant leaders by banning the mention of
Christianity as part of Europe’s cultural heritage, while
at the same time, including references to the
civilizations of Greece and Rome, and the philosophical
heritage of the Enlightenment. EU government
representatives excused this revisionist view of history
by claiming any mention of Christian values would upset
the Muslim population of the EU.6

As you can see, the stage is being
set for the emergence of a global political system(the EU
and the UN), a global economic system(the Euro and WTO),
and a global religious system (the interfaith movement).
The EU would seem to fulfill many of the prophesies of the
fourth kingdom that is to come, from which will arise the
Antichrist of the end-times. Only time will tell, but as
we are encouraged in the Bible to be aware of the signs,
we should all be looking up. We may soon be with our
Lord.